UAE delegation attends 2012 Yeosu Expo prep meeting

Seoul - FEb 9, 2012 (WAM) - More than 300 representatives from the United Arab Emirates and 100 plus countries and nine multinational organisations gathered yesterday at Hotel Shilla in downtown Seoul to ensure smooth preparations for the 2012 Yeosu Expo scheduled for May 12 to Aug. 12, this year. The Expo's steering committee hosted a three-day meeting in Seoul and Yeosu to review the overall preparation process and introduce guidelines for 11 issues including security, lodging, transportation and the establishment and operation of pavilions. Ibrahim Al Abed, Director General National Media Council is attending the meeting along with two other members of the Council. The 93-day event will focus on oceans and their potential to tackle diverse climate and environmental challenges facing mankind in the 21st century. The Expo, the first here since the 1993 Daejeon Expo, is expected to attract some 8 million visitors from around the world, according to the committee. It could generate about 12.2 trillion won (US$10.9 billion) worth of production and create about 5.7 trillion won in added value, as well as 80,000 jobs. UAE is ready to take the centre stage of the Yeosu Expo 2012 as it did in the Shanghai Expo 2010 during which UAE Pavilion, a huge golden sand dune inspired by the country's desert with the outer covering of unique gold-collared stainless steel and undulating roof, looking as if it has been shaped by the wind, was in the limelight of media attracting public attention throughout the event. - Emirates News Agency, WAM